DVD REGION CODES EXPLAINED ~ What is a REGION CODE? | eBay DVD REGION CODES EXPLAINED ~ What is a REGION CODE? Share November 13, 2007 (If you find this guide to be helpful, please give it a vote at the bottom. Thank you kindly!) What does a DVD Region Code (i.e. R1, Region 1) mean? The idea behind Region Codes for DVD movies was created to control the exportation of movies to other countries, thus eliminating the possibility of purchasing a DVD movie which has yet to be played at a local movie theatre. For example: standard DVD players purchased in the U.S. or Canada will only play DVDs that specify they are REGION 1 dvds; standard DVD players purchased in New Zealand will only play DVDs that specify they are REGION 4 DVDs. For example: Region 4 DVDs WON'T PLAY in a standard Region 1 DVD player; Region 1 DVDs WON'T PLAY in a standard Region 4 DVD player. U.S.A. and CANADA share the SAME REGION CODE: Region 1. An R1 dvd purchased in Canada is exactly the same as an R1 dvd purchased in the U.S., and vice versa.

Here is a list of DVD Regions and their corresponding countries: R1 Region 1 ~ U.S.A., U.S. Territories and Canada R2 Region 2 ~ Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Egypt, South Africa, Greenland R3 Region 3 ~ Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong R4 Region 4 ~ Mexico, South and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Caribbean R5 Region 5 ~ Russia, Eastern Europe, India, Africa (excluding South Africa), North Korea, Mongolia R6 Region 6 ~ China Here are images of the Region Code logos which are normally displayed on the back of a DVD keepcase: (If you have found this guide to be of some help, please give it a helpfulness vote by clicking on the appropriate button below. Thank you!) Tags: Amazon.com Help: About DVD Region Specifications Ordering › Placing an Order › About DVD Region Specifications Global region codes identify DVDs and Blu-ray discs that are compatible with the players typically sold in that region. The following are the different regions and their corresponding numerical equivalent: Standard DVDs Region 1: U.S., U.S.

Territories, Canada, and Bermuda Region 2: Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East, including Egypt Region 3: Southeast Asia, East Asia, including Hong Kong Region 4: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Region 5: Eastern Europe, Baltic States, Russia, Central and South Asia, Indian subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, and Mongolia Region 6: China Blu-ray Discs Region A/1: North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia Region B/2: Europe, Greenland, French territories, Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand Region C/3: India, Nepal, Mainland China, Russia, Central and South Asia Note: Most of the DVDs and Blu-ray discs sold by Amazon.com are only encoded for Region 1 or Region A. These titles only play in one region unless noted otherwise. Was this information helpful? DVD region codes and how to overcome them DVD Region Codes and Video Encoding Standards, and How to Overcome Them By Thomas Hedden Note: The discussion below will not address high-definition television.

Foreign films provide translators with an easy way to keep their knowledge of foreign languages up-to-date. This is especially important for translators in North America, where it is difficult to get regular exposure to foreign languages. Unfortunately, few foreign films are shown in American cinemas. It is possible to get many films on DVD, however the DVDs sold in America typically only have French and Spanish audio and subtitles in addition to English: It is more difficult to get DVDs in some other languages, such as German. For example, the DVD of the film Syriana (Warner Bros., 2005) that is sold in North America has only English and French audio and only English, French, and Spanish subtitles, while the DVD sold in Germany has English and German audio and English, German, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Greek, Swedish, and Portuguese subtitles. Of course, it is possible to order DVDs and videotapes from foreign countries (via eBay, for example). However, it is not straightforward to play DVDs and videotapes from different parts of the world on North American video equipment. The reason why is that DVDs have region codes, and that both DVDs and video tapes are encoded using different video encoding standards.

DVD Region Codes Almost all commercial DVDs that are sold have what is called a "region code" (also called "regional code"), which only allows the DVD to be played on DVD players that have this region code, and the only DVD players that typically do have this region code are those sold in that same region. For example, almost all DVDs and DVD players sold in North America have a region code of "1", and DVDs with a region code of "1" can only be played on DVD players with that same region code. Similarly, almost all DVDs and DVD players sold in Germany have a region code of "2", and DVDs with a region code of "2" can only be played on DVD players with that same region code. What this means is that if you live in North America and order a DVD from Germany, it probably will not play on your DVD player. The region code refers to a geographic region of the world rather than the language of the DVD. For example, North American DVDs may be in English, French, or Spanish, but all have region code "1", while DVDs from the U.K., France, and Spain all have a region code of "2", as do those from other countries of Western Europe.

The region code, which in some languages is referred to as a "country code" (cf. German Ländercode), usually appears on the back of DVD cases toward the bottom, and may be represented merely as a number or as a number within a stylized or squashed globe. Here are the region codes in widespread use today: DVD Region Codes and Where They Are Used DVD Region Code Africa, India, and countries of the Former Soviet Union 6 Mainland China There are also region codes "7" and "8", which have special purposes. For a more detailed breakdown of where these region codes are used, see the Wikipedia article DVD region code . There are some foreign DVDs sold in North America which have a region code of "1", including films produced in the UK that are intended for sale in North America. The reason why is that the North American market is large enough to justify a separate North American release of very popular films. For example, in the USA I can purchase a DVD of Das Boot (Bavaria Film, 1981) with region code "1".

However, there may never be a North American release of less popular films, for example Das letzte U-Boot (DEFA, 1993), and if such DVDs are purchased from countries in other regions they will not play on North American video equipment. There is some discussion on the Internet about codes for "unlocking" DVD players so that they can play DVDs having other region codes. I tried this with my DVD player (a Samsung DVD-V1000 purchased in 2002), but was unable to get it to work. However, you might be able to unlock your DVD player, so before going any farther you might want to look into this. What Is the Reason for DVD Region Codes? The official reason why the system of region codes was established was to make it possible to release a film in one region, for example North America, before it was released in another region, for example Europe, and prevent people in the region where the film has not yet been released (in this case Europe) from buying DVDs from the region where the film was first released (in this case North America); that is, to prevent Europeans from buying the North American version.

The rationale was that if too many Europeans bought the North American version, this would cut into sales of the European versions. However, since DVDs of even very old films such as Casablanca (Warner Bros., 1942) have region codes, many people suspect that the real reason for them is to enforce price differentials in different markets (see SPEECH/01/275 of Mario Monti, European Commissioner for Competition Policy, entitled Content, Competition and Consumers: Innovation and Choice ), similar to how pharmaceutical companies enforce price differentials between the USA and Canada for the same drugs. For example, as of this writing the film Syriana (Warner Bros., 2005) costs from US$5.99 (Amazon.com) to US$14.99 (Barnes & Noble) in North America, whereas in Germany I paid 15.99 Euros for it (purchased at the Saturn store in the PEP shopping center at Hanns-Seidel-Platz in Neuperlach Zentrum in the summer of 2007).

Whatever the real reason for the introduction of region codes, there is no technical reason why they are necessary: From the perspective of people who want to watch DVDs from other parts of the world, region codes are merely an artificial obstacle that needs to be overcome. Equipment to Overcome DVD Region Codes If you cannot "unlock" your existing DVD player, the most obvious and straightforward way to overcome DVD region codes is to purchase a DVD player from the same part of the world as the DVDs that you want to watch. However, this presents certain challenges. First, most foreign countries use 220V/50Hz current rather than the 110V/60Hz current used in North America. Fortunately, some manufacturers produce equipment that will run on either type of current. It is also necessary to have a plug adapter, since the electrical outlets and plugs used in many foreign countries are different from those in North American. Such plug adapters are easy to find and inexpensive. However, there is another obstacle that is not so obvious and that is more difficult to overcome, namely video encoding standards (see below). Region-Free DVD Players Another approach is to purchase a DVD player that can play DVDs having any region code.

These are hard to find in retail stores, but can be found on eBay. For example, I purchased the Pioneer DV-393-s DVD player. Notice that it has a North American power plug, so it is not even necessary to get a plug adapter: I do not know how the features and price of this DVD player compare with those of comparable players, nor am I certain that every DVD player bearing this model number is region-free, so I am not recommending this one over other brands. If you choose to purchase such a piece of equipment, you yourself should check the different models that are available, what features they offer, how much they cost, etc. However, apart from the question of brand, price, etc., this type of equipment is definitely more versatile, since it can play DVDs having ANY region code, not merely those having the region code where it was purchased. It is also more straightforward to use, since it can definitely use North American electrical current and does not even require a plug adapter. Moreover, such players typically can also output signals encoded using different video encoding standards (see below).

Some such players are supposed to be able to recognize what video encoding is expected and automatically switch over; however, whether this is switch-over is automatic or needs to be done manually is not very important, because it only needs to be done when the player is first connected to the display equipment (television set), which is usually only done once. Video Encoding Standards Video signals can be encoded according to different video encoding standards. The details about these standards are beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that video encoding standards are a true property of the video signal and have to do with the type of equipment that produces the signal: They do not represent an artificial obstacle as DVD region codes do. The three major analog video encoding standards are NTSC, SECAM, and PAL. NTSC stands for "National Television System Committee", the U.S. standardization body that adopted it. NTSC is used in North and Central America, some parts of South America, Japan, and a few other countries. SECAM, also written SÉCAM, stands for "Séquentiel couleur à mémoire", which is French for "Sequential Color with Memory".

SECAM is used in France, many French-speaking countries of Africa, and countries of the former Soviet Union. PAL stands for "Phase Alternating Line", and is used in most parts of Western Europe and almost everywhere where NTSC and SECAM are not used. There are a number of regional variants of PAL and SECAM. Here is a map showing where the various video encoding standards are used. Although some newer television sets may be able to accept video signals in different video encodings, the typical television set currently being used in North America accepts only NTSC signals. If such a television set is connected to a piece of video equipment that outputs a PAL signal, the sound will be normal, but the picture will be in black and white instead of color, and it will "roll", as if the vertical hold were badly out of adjustment: One obvious, although expensive, way to overcome the video encoding problem is to purchase not only a DVD player but also a television set to display the video signal produced by the DVD player. Fortunately, this is not necessary. Some DVD players can output signals in different video encodings, and some are even supposed to be able to recognize what video encoding is expected and automatically switch the output signal.

However, whether this switch-over takes place automatically or needs to be done manually is not very important, because it only needs to be done when the player is first connected to the display equipment (television set), which is usually only done once. Before buying a DVD player, check whether it can output a video signal using different encoding standards and whether your television set can accept video signals encoded using standards other than NTSC. Video Signal Converters If you have a DVD player that can play the DVD you want to play, but its video signal is encoded using the wrong standard, it is also possible to purchase a signal converter. There are different kinds of converters that can perform different conversions, and they vary widely in cost. Before purchasing one, make certain that you actually need one: Remember that some players can output video signals encoded using different standards (see above), so it might be possible to produce the correct output signal without a converter. If you do decide to purchase a converter, also make certain that it will actually do what you need done. For example, some converters will correct the black-and-white display of color pictures that results from trying to display a PAL signal on an NTSC television set, however they will not correct the vertical hold problem.

These converters are intended to be used with certain television sets that have automatic vertical hold adjustment, and can overcome the vertical hold problem by themselves. If your television set cannot do this, then such converters will not perform all the conversions you need. I purchased AED International's Multisystem Video Converter. It is expensive (US$169.99 on eBay as of 27 September 2007), but is supposed to be able to convert NTSC, PAL, and SECAM signals to either NTSC or PAL signals: I tested this converter by inputting a PAL signal to it and configuring it to output an NTSC signal, and it worked on my NTSC television set. I also tried inputting an NTSC signal to it, and the converter automatically recognized it. When I configured the converter to output a PAL signal to my NTSC television set, the picture showed the typical distortion that occurs when a PAL signal is displayed on NTSC video equipment. I was unable to test this converter with SECAM input. If any reader is willing to send me a SECAM DVD, I would be happy to test it and report the results.

DVD Region Codes and Computers Of course, it is also possible to watch DVDs on a computer that has a DVD drive and the right software. Unfortunately, the makers of DVD hardware and software also try to enforce region codes on computer DVD players. However, watching films on a computer rather than on home video equipment has the advantage that the only problem is the region code: The video encoding (NTSC/SECAM/PAL) is not a problem. Region codes are enforced on all recent computer DVD drives. (DVD drives manufactured before January 1, 2000 do not enforce them.) Most DVD drives come bundled with a DVD-playing software package. Note that some companies that produce DVDs have introduced special protections intended to prevent piracy, and that some of these make it difficult or impossible to view certain DVDs on certain computer DVD players. One such copy protection scheme is Sony's ARccOS, which was used on DVDs such as Casino Royale (MGM, 2006), The Holiday (Columbia, 2006), etc. The Dark Side of the Force On the Windows® platform, one very popular DVD-playing software package is "PowerDVD". Another is "WinDVD".

These software packages set up a region code in the DVD drive when they are installed. The DVD drive does allow its region code to be changed, but only five times. If a user inserts a DVD disk that has a region code different from the one specified when the software was installed, it will display the following alert: If I press the "OK" button, PowerDVD will change the region code in the DVD drive, and I will be able to play the DVD. However, it will decrement the counter, so next time this situation occurs the dialog box will say "Region Setting Counter: 3 times remaining". After the region code has been changed the fifth time, it will no longer be possible to change it. Fortunately, there are software packages that allow DVD-playing software to bypass the region code. One such package is called "DVD Region+CSS Free Lite" (US$24.95 from DVDIdle.com, This software package allows DVD-playing software to bypass the region code even if the number of changes allowed by the DVD drive has been exhausted. DVDIdle.com also offers more expensive packages that have more features.

DVD Region+CSS Free Lite and the other similar software packages from DVDIdle.com do not actually play DVDs, but rather work together with whatever DVD-playing software is already installed to enable it to play DVDs having any region codes, and to do so without having to change the DVD drive's region code every time a DVD is played that has a region code different from that of the preceding DVD. I tested the trial version of this package, and I was able to play DVDs having region codes "1", "2", and "4", which were the only ones I owned and was able to test. One minor difficulty I had with this player was that when I started PowerDVD an alert was displayed suggesting that I should "Enable DMA for DVD drive and hard drive". I knew that DMA should be enabled, so I clicked "OK", but after that I could not get any DVD to play. I checked the settings on my DVD drive, and it already was using DMA, so the alert apparently had to do with my hard disk rather than my DVD drive. I suspect that the problem I had was related to the fact that this computer has a SCSI hard disk rather than an IDE hard disk.

The next time I tried to play a DVD, I clicked "Cancel" instead of "OK", and the DVD played without any problems. I was unable to test the DVD player situation on the Macintosh platform, however the information available to me is that the situation on the Macintosh platform is analogous to that on the Windows® platform. If someone is able to investigate this and send me the information, I would be grateful. The Light Side of the Force Of course, region codes are not a problem for Linux users. The Linux platform has a number of multimedia players that can play DVDs, including "xine", "kaffeine", etc. These software packages have the capability of pretending that the DVD has whatever region code the DVD drive requires: Windows® users who are unable to kick the habit and unwilling to seek professional help can still use "xine" within the Cygwin environment. For information about Cygwin, see my article Cygwin: a Linux-like Environment for Windows® . Unfortunately, "xine" is not available in the form of precompiled binaries, that is, it cannot simply be downloaded and installed: For legal reasons it must be built from source code. Click here to return to Thomas Hedden's home page .

Copyright © 2007-2013 Thomas Hedden DVD Regional Coding Map & Information (Info Base) How To Figure Out Which DVD Titles Will Play In Your Player What Are Regional Codes DVD discs contain Regional Codes which can be used to prevent the playback of certain discs depending upon the geographical area it is played in. The various studios and home video companies lobbied to make sure this coding system was a required part of the current DVD standards, because they wish to control how their DVD titles are exported to other countries. (For example, while a recent film may already have played theatrically in the United States and been released to the home video market, that same film may not yet have opened in some European or Asian countries.) In most instances, discs manufactured in one region will usually only play on players that were manufactured in that same region - this means that discs bought or imported from Japan will not play on U.S. players, and vice versa. However, the regional coding system is entirely optional, and discs without Regional Codes will play on any player in any country. Region 1 - The U.S., U.S.

territories and Canada Region 2 - Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Egypt, South Africa, Greenland Region 3 - Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong Region 4 - Mexico, South America, Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Caribbean Region 5 - Russia (okay, former Russia), Eastern Europe, India, most of Africa, North Korea, Mongolia Region 6 - China How To Tell How A Disc Is Coded The Region Code is usually specified on the back of the individual DVD packages, either with a Regional Coding logo of a globe with the region number superimposed over it, or specifically spelled out. For example, while currently-released New Line and Warner DVD titles use the globe logo & number scheme, MGM/UA titles state: "This disc has been encoded for Region 1: The United States, U.S. Territories and Canada." In the cast of Lumivision's discs, they are labelled "Available worldwide," which means that the discs contain no regional coding and will play on any player in any country.

Originally Created: 04/25/97 How DVD Region Codes Affect the Consumer Updated October 19, 2016 The Success of DVD Nothing has impacted the home entertainment world quite like DVD . Although Blu-ray and Internet Streaming have taken a big bite out of DVD sales, there are still millions of discs in circulation and still being bought, sold, and viewed around the World. DVD is the main reason the home theater experience has become so popular, serving as a foundation for elevating both video and audio quality. Now, entire rooms in many homes are reserved just for the enjoyment of home theater. However, along with the popularity of DVD, comes its dirty little secret: region coding (also referred to as region lock). DVD Region Codes - How The World Is Divided DVD players and DVDs are labeled for operation on within a specific geographical region in the world. The DVD world is divided into six major geographical regions, with two additional regions reserved for specialized use. The geographical regions are as follows: REGION 1 -- USA, Canada REGION 7 -- Reserved for Unspecified Special Use REGION 8 -- Reserved for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc...

REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played Worldwide, however, PAL discs must be played in a PAL-compatible unit and NTSC discs must be played in an NTSC-compatible unit. As you can see from the above region code designations, the U.S. is in region 1. This means that all DVD players sold in the U.S. are made to region 1 specifications. As a result, region 1 players can only play region 1 discs. That's right, the DVDs themselves are encoded for a specific region. On the back of each DVD package, you will a find the region code number. The end result is that DVDs encoded for regions other than Region 1 cannot be played on a region 1 DVD player, also, players marketed for other regions cannot play region 1-stamped DVDs. The Reasons For DVD Region Coding Why does DVD region coding exist, you ask? According to what the public is being told, such coding is a tool to protect copyright and film distribution rights (in other words, movie studio profits). Movies are released in theaters in different parts of the world at different times throughout the year. That Summer blockbuster in the U.S. may end up being the Christmas blockbuster overseas.

If that occurs, the DVD version of the movie may be out in the U.S. while it is still showing in theaters overseas. In order to preserve the financial integrity of the theatrical distribution of a particular film, it is not possible (under normal conditions) to have a friend in the U.S. send a DVD copy of the film to the country where it is in theatrical release and be able to play the DVD on a player there. Region Coding - The Good and The Bad Depending on who you are, region coding can be considered a blessing or a curse. If you are movie studio executive, this is great, not only do you reap maximum profits from the theatrical releases, but also from the DVD releases for your film. However, if you are a consumer wanting to see a movie that is available on DVD in your relative's or friend's country but not in yours, you may have to wait quite a while. However, another suspected rationale for region coding is beginning to emerge, possible price-fixing of DVDs depending on region. Although this is yet to be legally proven in court, if proven to be true, Australian and European courts may just put the heat on Hollywood and manufacturers to discontinue region coding as a marketing practice.

New Zealand has been trying to eliminate DVD region code restrictions in that country. In addition, for those consumers that live in Europe, Australia, and Asia, there is an abundant market for so-called Code Free DVD players, which are essentially modified versions of stock DVD players in which the region coding function has been disabled. With the magic of mail-order and the Internet, these players are widely available, even if not totally legal. For the fortunate owners of these players, DVDs can be purchased from any region. However, as a reaction to the popularity of Code-Free DVD players, "Hollywood" has instituted another layer of coding on region1 DVDs called RCE (Regional Coding Enhancement) which prevents selected region 1 DVDs from playing even on Code-Free DVD players. However, RCE is only implemented on some Region 1 discs, and not on discs from other regions. The NTSC/PAL Factor There is additional hitch in the DVD Region Code madness. Since the world is also divided into the NTSC and PAL video systems, as outlined in my previous article: Who's Your PAL? ), the consumer may need a multi-system TV to access DVDs pressed in one of these systems. Although this is difficult in the U.S.

market, where all video is based on the NTSC system, most consumers in Europe and some other parts of the world do own Televisions that can view DVDs pressed in either NTSC or PAL. DVD Price Fixing and Movie Release Dates I can see the need for some region coding in order to protect movie release dates, but if issues such as price-fixing of DVD product is also involved, Hollywood may end up being in deep trouble on this one. With the increase in communication and travel, information and entertainment can be accessed just about anywhere at anytime and perhaps Hollywood would best be served by releasing films and videos at the same time everywhere. Not only would consumers be better served, but the cost of region coding and the need for the after-market Code-Free DVD player would be eliminated. The Consumer Impatience Factor Also, I realize it's nice to purchase the DVD version of the latest blockbuster just six months after theatrical release. It is a minor inconvenience to wait another month or so if it means the film is still in theatrical release somewhere else in the world. If the movie is worthy, fans will wait for the DVD. I doubt if the sales of blockbuster DVD releases, such as Star Wars: Episode II, Lord Of The Rings, etc...

suffer because we had to wait over a year to get it. I, for one, will always be in line for those major DVD releases. The Real Beneficiaries Of DVD Region Coding The only entities that seem to be really benefiting from DVD Region Coding are the movie studios and the marketers of Code-Free DVD players. Under this current system, my vote is for the marketers of the Code-Free players. Even the International Space Station has Code-Free DVD players (for obvious practical reasons). The following is a list of dealers that sell modified Code-Free DVD players. <b>Note:</b> The dealer listings are purely informational, I do not vouche for the quality of the products and services offered - make sure you get the answers to any questions you may have before you buy. International Electronics Home DVD Recording With the advent of DVD recorders and DVD camcorders for consumer use, the question comes up as to how this is affected by DVD Region Coding. The good news is that since DVD Region Coding is a commercial application, any DVD recordings you make on a consumer-based DVD recorder, DVD camcorder , or even a PC, are not Region Coded.

If the DVD you record made in the NTSC video system, it will be playable on DVD players in countries that use that system, and the same for PAL; there is no further region code restriction on home recorded DVDs. For additional information on consumer DVD recording, check out my DVD Recorder FAQs However, if you choose to implement Region Coding on your own DVD recordings, you need access to software or a service that is able to implement the region code designation. Final Notes Now that you know about DVD region coding, that isn't the only dirty little secret of DVD. There also the issue of anti-copy encoding technology, but that is another story... . Blu-ray Discs also adhere to their own region coding system, for details, read my article: Blu-ray Disc Region Code System Explained . Continue Reading Region Codes | Blu-ray & DVD Region Codes Explained Region Codes What Blu-ray and DVD Region Codes Are Region Codes are pieces of data that are embedded into Blu-Ray and DVD Discs to act as a restriction. This data, or region code, is read by the player and if it doesn’t recognize the region code as compatible or local, the disc will not play.

Since region codes are specific to certain geographical locations, a disc can typically only be read and played by a Blu-Ray or DVD Player that was manufactured and/or intended for use in that same specific region. In other words, if a disc is inserted into a player that originated from another region, it will not play because the region code does not match that of the player. Usually this doesn’t pose a problem to the average user, but it may for someone who has purchased discs from a foreign website or while visiting another country. For example, if you live in the UK and purchased a few DVD discs while on vacation in the United States, those discs are not going to be playable in your DVD Player back in the UK – since the discs have been embedded with a region code for the US, they are only able to play on a North American DVD System. It’s the same situation for nearly all areas of the world; playback depends on the region code which the disc was embedded with and the region where the player was manufactured. There are a handful of different reasons as to why region codes are used to restrict the playback of discs. The first and foremost reason is the fact that new films nearly always have different release dates (sometimes months apart) for different areas of the world.

Movie production companies and movie studios (as well as the general box office) utilize region coding in an attempt to prevent losses that could be incurred if certain areas of the world had premature access to unreleased films. For example, when a film has been in North American theaters for quite some time and is ready to be released to Blu-ray or DVD, it may have not yet even had its official UK theater release. This means that people from the UK could easily order a copy of the DVD from the US prior to the UK theater release date, which in turn, would negatively affect UK box office sales. Region coding helps deter this practice, thereby allowing vested parties to reap maximum profits. This also applies to differences in currency value, preventing people from paying much less for movies by ordering them from a country where the monetary exchange rate is very high. Aside from profitability, there are other reasons for the use of region codes. Governments and Religious Groups in other regions of the world often have strict authority over what type of content is acceptable for viewing. In these areas, region coding is effectively leveraged to censor content that is considered to be unethical, improper, or undesirable. The region coding system for Blu-Ray Discs varies from that of DVDs.

This is explained below to provide you with an accurate understanding. Blu-Ray Region Codes In total, there are 3 separate Blu-Ray region codes. These codes are classified alphabetically as Region A, Region B, and Region C. Blu-ray discs that have been manufactured in region A are embedded with region code A, and are therefore only usable with players from region A. The same is applicable for regions B and C. Below is a map showing how Blu-ray region codes are separated and administered by geographic location. Guide map of Blu-ray region codes. This map shows the different Blu-ray codes and which areas they are utilized in. Click the map to view in full-size Region A: This region covers all of North America, South America and South East Asia. Region B: This encompasses Europe, Africa, Middle East, French territories and Greenland. Region C: Region which covers the rest of the world including Russia, Asia, and China. DVD Region Codes There are 6 individual region codes with which DVDs are embedded. These 6 region codes function in the same way as Blu-ray region codes. A DVD disc from region 1 would be encoded as region code 1 and is therefore only operable in a DVD player that originated from region 1.

The same is true for region 2, region 3, and so on and so forth, all the way to region 6. The map below shows how DVD region codes are separated and administered by geographic location. Region 1: USA & Canada, Bermuda, and US Territories Region 2: Europe (with the exceptions of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Middle East, Egypt, Lesotho, and Greenland Region 3: Southeastern Asia What are the DVD and Blu-Ray Region Codes? Central and South Asia; Mongolia, Russia, and People's Republic of China. What does all this 'DVD region coding' mean? This means that DVD movies from DVD Region 1 (USA & Canada) WILL NOT play on a DVD player regions 2-6. Effectively Region 1 DVD discs play only on Region 1 DVD players, Region 2 DVD discs play only on Region 2 DVD players and so on. Why are there 6 DVD regions? Movies are released on DVD at different times around the world, typically America and Canada first, Australia and Japan 6 months later, and Europe 12 months after US release.

In some instances, DVD movies are available for purchase in America and Canada before they are released in European cinemas. Due to the high quality of DVD and the movie release system used by Hollywood, 5 regions were establish to prevent people from watching Region 1 movies before they were released on Regions 2-6. DVD Censorship between countries also plays a part, another reason for DVD region coding. What can I do to solve this problem? CodeFree.com specializes in Region Free DVD Players and Region Free Blu-ray Players that play DVD and Blu-ray movies from DVD Regions 1 thru 6 and Blu-Ray Regions 1, 2 and 3. Guaranteed 100%, giving you the freedom to watch any DVD movie, censored or uncensored, without having to wait up to 12 months for the official release in your country. How do you make a DVD player region free / multi-region / Code-Free? Our custom chipping process ensures your DVD or Blu-ray player plays every region disc available, using our custom DVD Region chip design. Our qualified technical staff modify and test your DVD player 100% with all DVD and/or Blu-ray egions before leaving our warehouse.

What if the movie studios put a DVD region protection system into the movie disc? The DVD region protection system, 'RCE' was introduced 8 years ago, and all our DVD players play RCE discs 100%. So far no other 'new' protection system is possible other than RCE due to the way the DVD region format works. Our players play all protected 'RCE' DVD discs. Enjoy the freedom that CodeFreeDVD.com offers, the freedom to watch any DVD movie from anywhere, Code-Free / Region Free! Our DVD and Blu-ray Players play all movies from all regions, Guaranteed for Life! DVD Regions DVD Regions DVDs have the ability to encode an option which specifies which regions in the world the discs can be played. The movie studios have collectively divided the planet earth into zones which corresponds to their distribution system. For those out there that will only play DVDs from your own region don't worry about the information on this page. This really only affects people that collect DVDs from other parts of the world. For most DVD users you will want to play locally produced discs. When considering playing DVDs from other regions remember that the video output format is important. Please review the sections on PAL and NTSC for more details.

Please Note: Some DVD players have an internal switch setting that allows you to choose the country code. Others have this option hard coded. You may find a lot of advice in newsgroups as to how to by pass this feature. Just be aware that this will always nullify your warrantee. I don't track hacks or modifications. You may want to try a site that specializes in these things such as DVD Region Hacks . Again, please be warned, you can ruin your player if your apply any unauthorized modification to your DVD player. You can try contacting the manufacturer they often will help. In fact the best way to go is to just spend about $80 and invest in a region free player. I did so recently and not only does it play DVDs from any region it outputs upverted 1080p video through HDMI which takes care of the video format incompatibility. it even has a USB input to play video files. it's a great value and will not ruin your warrantee . If you have an account with Amazon you credentials work with Amazon.co.uk. they even do the currency conversion so you can use your regular payment methods.

PIONEER DV-220V-K One more note: Just because a DVD is coded for a specific region doesn't mean it will play in all countries assigned that region. There is the added layer of incompatibility imposed by the great and wonderful powers that be. You also have to make sure the video formatting is the same. For example, both The UK and Japan are included in Region 2. Unfortunately, UK users the PAL video formatting while Japan is NTSC. In order to play a disc intended for the UK in Japan you will also have to have equipment that recognizes the video format. There are converters that will permit the mixing of PAL and NTSC so if you plan on using discs from different countries consider investing in such an additional box. Technically speaker there is no such thing as region zero. This is a designation used to indicate that a DVD was not encoded with a region flag. This way, it will pass the testing of any DVD player and, that is, you can play it in any region. Although your DVD player can read a disc from another region you still have to be concerned with the video format used to create the DVD.

For example, Region 1 discs are made with NTSC while Region 2 and some region 4 use PAL. You will also need either a video format convert or a DVD player with a converter built in to make sure you can play discs from other regions. Now, as if this system of region encoding doesn't cause enough problems for the consumer not all discs of the same film with the same region are created equally. In region one discs intended for release in the United States are often not the same as those for Canada. The most infamous cases were with Pulp Fiction and Chasing Amy where the Canadian releases preceded the US release by a significant amount of time and the Canadian releases had a ton of extras while the US versions were fairly plain vanilla. The same can also hold true for region two where discs intended for Japan are often not the same as those released in the UK. So, when you buy a DVD you have to check the region code, the video format, the transfer specifics and the extras. One new aspect of region coding is Region Code Enhancement (RCE) This is deigned by the studios to prevent viewing a Region One disc on a Region Free DVD player. It will not prevent watching the movie on a MultiRegion Player.

The reason for this is to prevent people from the popular practice of hacking the player to be able to view all region discs. So far some Warner Bros, New Line, Columbia and now select MGM have this feature. For more information click on the links to the left. With the addition of the Blu-ray format the region encoding scheme has been simplified. There are now only three regions provided. Blu-ray discs can also be produced without region coding which are readable on all Blu-ray capable players. There is still the issue of video format since even within a Blu-ray region some discs may be mastered with NTSC, PAL or other video formats. Standard DVD Regions

Question: What is the DVD region code for the US?
Answer: 1